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Nuggets of Wisdom

Thursday, June 9, 2011

8 Years For Prank? (And More Bad Cops!)

I don’t normally highlight videos by the Amazing Tub O’Lard (a.k.a.: The Amazing Atheist), but his recent two videos managed to strike my interest.

Here’s his first video ranting about a teenager being sentenced 8 years in prison for—of all things—pulling a high school prank:

And here’s his second video. I obviously disagree with the first part where he rants against the death penalty, but I was intrigued by the second part (which starts at 4:52) where he rants about police officers who fired at an unarmed man (hitting four innocent bystanders) and confiscated and destroyed the video evidence.

Our law enforcement, ladies and gentlemen!

When they’re not busy arresting people for victimless crimes like smoking pot in the privacy of their own home, or having consensual sex with strangers for a price, or feeding the homeless in a public park, they’re sentencing teenagers eight years in prison for a harmless prank and using excessive force against a single civilian (while four bystanders are caught in the crossfire).

I mean, what’s the point of sentencing the boy to eight years in prison? I understand the need to be tough on crime, but eight years in prison for a harmless prank? By the time he’s released from prison, his peers will have already graduated college (and possibly graduate school) and chosen their career paths while the boy is stuck with his high school education and lack of work experience. How is that justice?

And I don’t know what’s worse about the second video: the fact that half a dozen cops found it necessary to fire at a man who didn’t instigate any violence and who possibly didn’t fire back (all while four innocent bystanders are caught in the crossfire), or that the police have the right to confiscate (at gunpoint, no less) and destroy any video evidence of themselves. Just what is with the law against videotaping the cops? They can videotape us, but we can’t videotape them? That just gives them more power over us!

As I mentioned before, law enforcement should stop wasting time and energy prosecuting people for victimless crimes like senior pranks and videotaping cops. That way, they can focus on major crimes like rape and murder. But then again, as one of my followers on DeviantART said, most cops would rather go after an unarmed civilian violating a petty ordinance rather than an armed criminal committing a serious crime.